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Tuesday, 21 February 2012

BIG BROTHER IS HERE – and I'm VERY SCARED!!!!!

Imagine this if you will. You are sitting in a train-
or bus-station, or anywhere else you may have to wait a while, and there is a
vending machine in front of you. You've been there for some time already and
still have a bit to wait. You start to feel hungry and the chocolate bar on
display just seems to be shouting out at you to "take me, take me".
So, you get up and walk to the vending machine. Life is easy – you don't need
money so you don't have to search for change or worry about the machine being
able to give you change. The machine will read your implanted identification
device and automatically take the cost of the chocolate bar from your bank
account.

So, you key in the code for the chocolate bar.

Within seconds an automated voice says, "Sorry, we
are unable to process your request. Your Body Mass Index exceeds the maximum
for receipt of this item. As an alternative if you would like the apple, please
press 1; for the banana press 2; or for the orange press 3. To cancel your
request press 5 and return to your seat."

"FICTION", I hear you cry. Sadly, this may be
FACT sooner than you think.

A Facebook friend yesterday posted something on my
wall. It looked like'just another
evangelical message' but I decided to have a look anyway because something
about it roused my curiosity.

The video was a pastor telling us we are on the verge
of the end of times because very soon mankind will carry the mark of the beast
as forseen in the book of Revelations. He was referring to Revelations Chapter 13
verse 13 onwards and linking this to some 'recent' legislation.

Well, you can call me sceptical but I didn't see the
connection myself until I started to dig a bit deeper.

The legislation in question is a "little"
thing called Obamacare and it would appear this was designed to be his
signature piece of domestic work as President. Checking the text of 'Obamacare'
(and there is a LOT of text – over 1000 pages)
you first notice, of course, the title:

H. R. 3200

To provide affordable, quality health care for
all Americans and reduce

the
growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Well, gee, I have to say I'd sign up for that straight
away. Wouldn't you.? Sounds like just the ticket for a country with no national
health service. I can see why Obama would want this as his 'showpiece'
legislation. Surely everyone will want this. Just think of the improvements in
their lives if healthcare becomes more affordable and better quality for
EVERYONE.

Press coverage at the time highlighted the benefits of
better cover, more entitlement to subsidised or free care, better communication
between healthcare services to provide unique tailored care for each
individual, and so on. In fact, it seemed too good to be true.We didn't seem to hear much about it outside
the US
– presumably because it was considered to be a domestic issue with no
international relevance.

Well, someone I very much respect once said "if it
seems too good to be true, then it is too good to be true".

On closer inspection of this document you will find
buried the invitation to Big Brother to come in and take over the lives of the
Americans almost completely. This document is weighty, boring and long so I
cannot for the life of me imagine the average American settling down with it as
a 'good read'. However, hidden way back towards the end of this document there
is reference to a medical device that is "implantable, life-supporting, or
life-sustaining". There are other references in the document to this device
which would apparently positively identify patients and automatically link any
medical facility to the patient records. There would also be links through this
device to either the patients bank account or other social records proving
eligibility for free medical care or even current health insurance
validity.The document highlights the
need for all Americans to have such a device before 1 January 2013.

WOW!!! Rock on George Orwell – how could you possibly
know?????

So, imagine my relief when I discovered that this Bill never made it into Law.

My research actually showed:

"The proposedAmerica's Affordable Health Choices
Act of 2009(orHR 3200)was an unsuccessful bill introduced in
theU.S. House of Representativeson July 14, 2009." (Source:
Wikipedia)

and

"This bill is obsolete.To read,
comment and link to the current health care reform bills in Congress, see the
links below:

Instead the US
Government adopted something called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act (PPACA) which was signed into law on 23 March 2010.

I did TRY to
read this document (also very long, dry and boring). I'm not an expert in
legalese or American jargon but it appeared to have done away with the idea of
compulsory implantation of these identification devices.

WHAT A RELIEF.

I can't tell you how good that made me feel. No panic.

OR IS THERE???

My
original research turned up an RFID as the device referred to so I started to
ask myself, "what is an RFID?".

Well,
it seems this stands for 'Radio Frequency Identification Device'. They can provide
access to a LOT of information and the newest
ones are only the size of a grain of rice. They are also implantable. The
technology is already all around us. When we have our pets chipped we are using
RFID technology. Some vehicles use it for tracking and quite a large number of
businesses use it instead of barcodes these days for tracking sales, inventory
and stock movement. But is there a more sinister side perhaps? Here are some examples that I found on the
internet – let's start with something I'm sure most of us would find innocuous:

Texas-based
DeviceFidelity developed a specialised microSD card which, when inserted into a
mobile phone can be both a passive tag and an RFID reader though which a user's
phone can be linked to banks accounts for use in mobile payment.

Another American company
has started using RFIDs on mobile phones as part of a loyalty and rewards
programme. Customers ask
for an RFID tag. Once it is activated the phone receives promotions and coupons
which the store can read.

Another well-known
supermarket chain has introduced a touch-free payment system. Those joining the
scheme are given a free Nokia 3220 phone. Once activated they can pay on their
credit card via the mobile phone at any of this chain's worldwide stores.

Now,
if you think Minority Report showed some far-fetched ideas with the advertising
hoardings actually speaking to Tom Cruise by name (not his real name, of
course, but his character in the film), think again. Bear in mind also that
some of these RFID tags can be read from up to 100 metres away and can be read THROUGH an item.
It is also possible to read 100s of RFID tags at a time:

In a clothing store,
for example, the RFID can be used for advertising. When a customer enters a
dressing room, the mirror reflects their image and also images of celebrities
wearing the same item on an interactive display. At the same time a webcam
projects the image of the customer wearing the item to the website.

RFID passports are now
in use in Malaysia, Norway, Japan,
Hong Kong, the USA, Serbia, the Republic
of Korea, Taiwan,
Albania, Australia, The Philippines, the Republic of Macedonia
and most of the EU including the UK,Spain and Ireland. They record the date, time
and place of entries and exits from the country.

Some theme parks insist
children wear an RFID bracelet to they are easily found if they go missing.

"OK",
I hear you say. Maybe science-fiction is becoming science-fact. But nothing
here about implantation. Oh, no. Just read on:

It seems that in 2004
Conrad Chase was already offering implanted chips to his VIP customers in his
night clubs in Barcelona and Rotterdam. The RFID chip identified them
immediately as VIP customers and they used the RFID chip to pay for their
drinks.

Another suggested use
has been in vending machines. If the customer has an RFID tag they could make a
selection and purchase from a vending machine without having any actual money
with them as the amount would be automatically debited from the bank account. These
tags could be implanted or via the mobile phone.

So,
now we have implantation. BUT this was VOLUNTARY. Indeed, unless you were very
rich and thought of by Mr Chase as a VIP you had no chance of getting an
implant. In fact, I'm sure if you weren't already VERY rich indeed you probably
needed to remortgage your house to pay for a drink in either of his night
clubs.

BUT
here is something entirely more sinister in my opinion:

Since 2004 a number of US hospitals
have begun implanting patients with RFID tags and using RFID systems, usually
for workflow and inventory management. (Source: Wikipedia).

So,
now we have a miniature chip that through a unique number can link in to all
your personal information, your medical records, your bank account details (all
in real time) and act as a GPS tracking system.

It
has, in some circles, been suggested that some individuals (for example, the
elderly with Alzheimer's) should be tagged for their own safety.

Hmmmmm!!!
So we start with external tags, then move to implanted tags for specific
reasons, then we find reasons to implant tags and "persuade" those
involved to co-operate (or, perhaps, those charged with their care).

So,
JUST WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE.

After
all, what happens in America
today often happens here very soon!!!!

As
someone who values personal privacy beyond almost everything else I have so far
avoided having a photo driving licence and was so glad I got my passport before the new RFID
ones were issued. This whole idea seems to be a gross erosion of personal
privacy and I amvery scared.